Republic of the Congo

The Republic of Congo (RC) is a central Africa state also known as Congo-Brazzaville. The equator cuts across the country and comparatively the country is smaller than the state of Montana. The country shares borders with Gabon, Cameroon, The Central African republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. The capital is Brazzaville and the population lies in the region of 4.5 million.

Climate and Wildlife

The RC is divided into four regions. The coastal region consisting of low treeless plains, the escarpment consisting of a series of parallel folds almost completely covered in forest, savannah country and swampy lowland. The country has tropical climate typified by high humidity and heat. In the south average daily temperature range about 25 degrees Celsius, to almost 30 degrees Celsius in the North. There is a lot of dense rain forest in the country and in the savannah species such as hyenas, cheetahs, antelopes, elephants, wild boar, giraffes and monkeys abound. The main tourist attractions in RC include the beaches in Cote’ Sauvage and water skiing on the Congo and Kouillou Rivers.

People and Language

The official language is French though a number of local languages are widely used. Of the local languages Kikongo is most widely spoken. In addition to this, Lingala and Monokutuba are lingua franca trade languages. The main ethnic groups in RC include, the Kongo, Sangha, Teke and M’bochi (Made up of almost 40 tribes). Europeans and other minorities constitute almost 3% of the total population.

Other Facts about RC

The earliest inhabitants of the Congo River basin were pygmies who were later absorbed by the large Bantu tribes that migrated into the region. This former French colony gained independence in 1960 and was originally known as French Congo. The country’s economy is driven by petroleum, lumber, transportation and agriculture. Petroleum products remain the most profitable export contributing as much as 90% of national exports.

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